Robert Gates and Mark Twain

Ernest Hemingway, who won the Nobel Prize for Literature for his novel "The Old Man and the Sea," said modern American literature began with the classic "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain. Nicknamed the father of American literature with novels such as "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" and "The Prince and the Pauper, Twain was born 176 years ago Wednesday. Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates reminded Koreans of the American literary giant at the Seoul International Forum the same day.

Gates quoted Twain to deny the claim that U.S. influence in the world is waning. After a miserable childhood, Twain gained fame through his novels but paid the price of fame by suffering from rumors of his death and disappearance. Though transportation and communications were relatively undeveloped in his time, rumors of his death spread across the U.S. When he heard the rumor, Twain said in a newspaper article, "The reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated." After repeating Twain`s comment made 100 years ago, Gates said the U.S. will strive to keep its glory by mustering all of its energy and will and with an indomitable resolve.

Twain lived through the American Civil War and when heated debates erupted over whether the U.S. should take an imperialistic path. After winning the Spanish-American War (1898) and the American-Philippine War (1899–1902), the U.S. emerged as an empire. Twain, however, strongly opposed his country taking an imperialistic path. Gates led the U.S. in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and served eight U.S. presidents over the past 40 years since joining the CIA under the Lyndon B. Johnson administration. Interestingly, the former U.S. defense secretary invoked the anti-war literary giant to stress American power.

In the wake of sharp conflict between conservative and progressive forces, Gates is hailed as a wise commander who maintained U.S. national security. He said the U.S. brought about an orderly end to the war on terrorism that began under the Republican government, protected the principles of democracy and market economy, and pursued better relations with countries in the Asia-Pacific region in a constant manner. His comment that the solidification of relations with the Asia-Pacific region is in line with U.S. national interests is in sync with Korea`s interests.

Editorial Writer Ha Tae-won (triplets@donga.com)